It was the 20th warmest and 21st driest September in Illinois and the 10th warmest and 40th driest
July–September since 1895,” says State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey
(http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

“Statewide, September temperatures averaged 69.2°F (3°F above average), and July–September
temperatures averaged 74.2°F (2.3°F above average). September precipitation was 2.17 inches (1.01 inches
below average), and July–September precipitation averaged 9.21 inches (1.45 inches below normal). The 6-month period from April–September was the 20th wettest and 26th warmest since 1895. The year-to-date
statistics also show this as the 26th wettest and 11th warmest January–September since 1895.

“The one bright spot was that southeastern Illinois benefited from rains from remnants of Tropical Storm
Isadore. In fact, southern Illinois was the only region where precipitation was near average,” says Angel.

Hutsonville reported the warmest temperature, 100°F on September 8. Princeville, Monmouth, and
Mount Carroll all reported the coldest temperature, 33°F on September 24. Harvard reported the largest one-day
rainfall total, 2.68 inches on September 20. Grand Chain Dam reported the largest monthly total, 5.83 inches.

National Weather Service long-range outlooks call for an increased chance of warmer conditions in
November–January continuing into February–April and an increased likelihood of drier conditions in
December–February continuing into March–May. “These forecasts are based on past behavior of El Niño
events. However, the current El Niño event has been weak, which means that warmer and drier conditions are
less likely to occur in Illinois,” says Angel.